Cedric King has been appointed as the new head coach for the Rome High School girls basketball team, according to an April 17 announcement. King brings nearly two decades of coaching experience and a strong record of success in Georgia high school basketball.
King’s coaching career includes 16 seasons as a varsity head coach with a cumulative record of 336 wins and 137 losses. He has led teams to two state championships, four state runner-up finishes, and eight Final Four appearances. His teams have qualified for the state playoffs in twelve out of sixteen seasons and achieved more than twenty wins in eleven seasons.
“I’m super excited to be Rome High School’s girls basketball coach. This is a dream come true to be working in a city school like this, where I’m in charge of K through 12. I grew up in Troy (Alabama) and that’s very similar,” Coach King said. “To be living in Atlanta all these years and to be able to take advantage of this opportunity is amazing. I’m excited, and I’m looking forward to it.”
Most recently, King served as the head girls basketball coach at Lovejoy High School from 2015 through 2023, where he posted a record of 203 wins and 42 losses while leading his teams to Class 6A state titles in both 2022 and 2018. He also guided Lovejoy to multiple deep postseason runs including state runner-up finishes and several Final Four appearances.
King emphasizes building strong team culture around principles such as “We over Me”, “Ubuntu”, “Together We Attack”, and “Driven By Discipline.” Discussing what fans can expect from his new team at Rome High School, he said: “Fans are going to see teams that compete with everything they have. The goal is to get in and compete and just bring energy every single time they are on the court. We want to make sure that we are representing ourselves first and then representing our community. We want to make sure that we are being the best that we can be.”
In addition to competitive results on the court, King has helped more than twenty-six players advance into collegiate-level programs—including Bryanna Preston at Texas Longhorns women’s basketball team and LaNya Foster at Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets women’s basketball.
Rome City Schools operates public elementary, middle, and high schools offering Advanced Placement courses, career-technical education programs, virtual learning options along with support for special education students according to its official website. The district maintains operations in Rome, Georgia according to its official website.
The district reports a graduation rate of over ninety-five percent while providing one-to-one technology access for K-12 students across multiple campuses according to its official website. It focuses on academics as well as arts and athletics according to its official website, overseen by a Board of Education responsible for policy setting.
King concluded by highlighting his guiding philosophy: “Our mission will always be to win the last game… We’ve got to care with love… communicate with love… compete with love… give the girls confidence with love… Our last C—and hardest—is consistency.” He also acknowledged his wife Shelbia King’s support throughout his coaching journey.
